MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ( II ) WOODWINDS

WOODWINDS

Woodwind instruments are usually made of wood, however, flutes and piccolos are more often made by metal, for oboes and clarinets are occasionally made of ebonite. All wind instruments are made to sound by causing to vibrate inside a hollow tube. Different instruments have theirs own particular ways of playing them. The pitch of the note produced depends on its columns of air: long columns of air produce low notes while shorter columns result higher notes. Wind players are able to control tone production by a method called tonguing. The syllable "tu" is formed silently by the player, and he can give every note a clear start by using his tongue. Then, he can go smoothly from note to note by not using it.